Dog Food

Pet
Food

In
a world of Dog food recalls we all have to wonder, "What dog
food is best for our dogs?" I have included the following
information to help everyone make educated decisions on their pets
nutrition.

I
fell into the dog food dilemma and after much research found that
feeding my dogs a holistic diet was better for my dogs health and saved
me money. I want what is best for my dogs but I also want to be
reasonable about the expense involved. I don't eat filet mignon every
night so obviously my dogs cant either.

I
think you will find the following information very helpful

How
to read dog food labels

Locate
the first fat source on the label. animal fat, chicken fat, turkey
fat, etc ( animal fat is vague. It does not tell you the source.
Animal fat can include the 5 D animals. Dead diseased, disabled, or
dying prior to slaughter.)

The
ingredients located prior to the first fat source generally make up
the majority of the food, the first ingredient

All
ingredients are required to be listed in order of predominance by
weight.

The
ingredients after the fat are important as well:

soy
flour, sugar, phosphoric acid, sugar, sorbitol, "animal
digest" and colorings are all BAD! These ingredients are
considered eye candy to make the food look nicer for humans and more
palatable for dogs. Just because they like it does not mean it is
good for them. My kids love sweets but they do not get them for
diner.

Definition
of commercial dog food ingredients?

THE
GRAIN
Virtually all artificial diets are heavily based on grains and cereals. But
dogs are not cows. A dog has the
large stomach and short straight digestive tract required to digest
meat. A cow has several small stomachs and the long winding digestive
tract required to digest fibrous grain. The two are not interchangeable!

Even worse, many dogs are allergic to corn
and soybean and wheat. They develop chronic digestive problems (loose
stools, spitting up, gassiness) or itchy skin. You'll see them licking
their feet or rubbing their face against the carpet. You might never
think to associate these problems with the grain in your dog's diet, but
that is often the case

Finally,
the quality of this grain is suspect.

The
good grain is reserved for the human market.

What
goes into the pet food bin is deemed unfit for human

consumption.
Mold, rancidity, contaminants

The
grain included in a lot of commercial pet food is not whole grain, but grains not considered
fit for human consumption, the sweepings from farm silos. It can include
disinfectants, metals and fungus. Grains that are condemned for human
consumption by the USDA due to chemical residue may legally be used,
without limitation, in pet food.

THE MEAT
By-product meals:

The "by-products" --
a catch-all term,
made up mainly of parts of the animal that are left over after the meat
is removed for human consumption. These parts include: intestines, feet,
heads, etc., which are ground together and rendered.

Chicken
by-products are cheap and generally less digestible than the muscle meat
we eat.

Another source of meat that isn't
mentioned on pet food labels is pet byproducts, the bodies of dogs and
cats. In 1990 the San Francisco Chronicle reported that euthanized
companion animals were found in pet foods. Although pet food company
executives and the National Renderers Association vehemently denied the
report, the American Veterinary Medical Association and the FDA
confirmed the story. The pets serve a viable purpose by providing
foodstuff for the animal feed chain, said Lea McGovern, chief of the
FDA's animal feed safety branch. Because of the sheer volume of animals
rendered and the similarity in protein content between poultry
byproducts and processed dogs and cats, rendering plant workers say it
would be impossible for purchasers to know the exact contents of what
they buy. In fact, Sacramento Rendering cited by inspectors five times
in the past two years for product-labeling violations.

Animal Fat:

Animal fat is made up of The "5D" meat that
didn't make the cut for the human market, which means it came from
livestock that was drugged, diseased,
disabled, dying, or already dead
when it arrived at the slaughterhouse.

Processing does not remove heavy chemicals, like sodium pentobarbital
that is used to euthanize animals.

THE GREASY FAT
Many dogs gobble up their kibble, because it's sprayed with
greasy fat to make it smell yummy.

"The
relish with which a dog eats doesn't indicate whether

something
is "good" for him."

THE CHEMICAL PRESERVATIVES
Preservatives are used in artificial diets so the bags and cans
last longer. That's convenient for the manufacturer, yes, who can leave
it sitting in his warehouse for a long time. Convenient for the retailer
who can leave it sitting on his shelf for a long time. Convenient for
the owner who can dish it out for a long time. Many Holistic diets do
not have a long shelf life or are vacuum packed for this reason.

The most common pet food
preservatives are:

Ethoxyquin -- which is actually
manufactured by the giant chemical corporation Monsanto as a rubber
preservative. The containers are marked POISON. The Department of
Agriculture lists it as a pesticide. OSHA lists it as a hazardous
chemical.

BHA and BHT -- both of which
cause liver and kidney dysfunction, and bladder and stomach cancer.

These chemicals are all
banned in Europe.

Most pet foods list these preservatives right on the bag or can, but
even when it doesn't say so, it's usually in there, anyway

A legal
loophole allows manufacturers to only list what THEY themselves put
into the bag. Some buy their ingredients from a supplier who has
already added the chemical to those ingredients, the pet food company
does not have to disclose that information on the bag.

Every day, pets are taken to the vet by unsuspecting owners for ailments
including:

itching

hot spots

dandruff

excessive shedding

foot-licking

face-rubbing

loose stools

gassiness

In Many cases the food is the cause of these and so many more deadly ailments
over the life of our pets.

The best dog foods:

contain pure meat as the TOP
ingredients

contain MINIMAL grain
(preferably brown rice) and NO corn or soybeans (difficult to digest
and cause allergies in many dogs)

contain NO
"by-products" or "animal digest" whatsoever

contain NO artificial
preservatives (BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin)

contain NO "fillers"
such as rice flour, or brewer's rice

Some quality dog
foods to chose from are:

HOLISTIC DOG FOODS
ARE BETTER

Solid Gold

Wellness

Canidae

Nutro Ultra

Merrick

Holistic food
expense:

Some of you may be
saying, "This food is much more expensive." What the
majority of pet owners fail to understand is that by feeding an all
natural & holistic food to their dog they will actually be saving
money in the long run. You feed much less food (20% to 40%) You feed
lessbecause
the food is all natural with no fillers and by-products.

Second, there are
enormous savings to be made by not having all those vet visits and
harmful medications to fix your pets' allergies (the #1 reason why pets
are seen in the vet's office) and immune disorders (which can lead to
chronic and serious conditions that require careful treatment.)

YOUR PET WILL LIVE A
HEALTHIER LONGER LIFE!!!

Home-Prepared
diet:

I have had many
emails about feeding home prepared diets and have decided to address
this here. I believe a home-prepared diet is probably the best way to go
as long as your pet is getting all the required vitamins it needs. I
strongly caution anyone who is considering this option to do a lot of research and ask a
veterinarian. I found a link that might be helpful to anyone considering
this path, click below.

At this time Tian Mi feeds
Wellness small breed & Merrick Wilderness blend. After trying several diets
these are the ones our
dogs seem to respond to the best. Some day when I retire and my
homeschooled children leave the nest I will have more time to feed a
Home-prepared diet. Until then, these suit our needs.